Prevention.com

5/25/2015

Eight years ago, after my father passed away from brain cancer, I took a good honest look at myself in the mirror. At 220 pounds, my body was struggling under the extra weight I'd been carrying since having kids, and I knew I had to get my chronic hypertension under control. But what bothered me most was the utter exhaustion in my life. I'd battled depression since I was a teenager, and the physical heaviness of my frame was compounding my sense of hopelessness. I felt like a stranger in my own body. How had I let this happen?

Deep down, I knew that my emotional changes were tied to my restlessness at work. I loved my job as an RN, but I really wanted to be a nurse-practitioner so I could see my own patients and play a bigger role in their care. And I wanted to be trim, happy, and in good shape—a model of good health.

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